Fairlie Gives N.Z. Only Cup Win

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 31986, 13 May 1969, Page 19

Fairlie Gives N.Z. Only Cup Win

(N.Z. P.A.-Reuter—Copyright)

COLOGNE (West Germany).

B. Fairlie, the New Zealand No. 1, scored a resounding 6-0,7-5,6-0 win over the West German tennis star, W. Bungert, on the final day of their Davis Cup European zone first round tie.

Fairlie’s win gave New Zealand its first victory in the tie, which the Germans clinched when they added the doubles to successes in the first two singles for a winning 3-0 lead.

Fairlie played a surer game and was able to snap the chances that Bungert’s often erratic play allowed him.

In the second set Bungert had a chance of reversing the situation when he led 54. But he lost two set points to the New Zealander', who played relaxed and confident tennis. With the tension gone out of the match Fairlie looked

far better than he did in his first singles game against C. Kuhnke on Friday or his doubles with O. Parun against Kuhnke and I. Buding on Saturday. Parun gave Kuhnke a tough time in the final match of the meeting. He pushed the first set to 5-7 and won the third 6-3 but was still not quite at home on the red clay courts. In other matches the perennial favourites in the European zone advanced with little hint of an upset to the second round.

Czechoslovakia, Britain and West Germany were the most impressive winners in section A while the Soviet Union and

Italy joined Spain as section B favourites. Only one tie remained incomplete, Jugoslavia leading France, 2-1, with two singles to be played. The most exciting match was the clash between Canada and the Netherlands, which ended in a 3-2 victory for the Canadians.

South Africa, which had already qualified for the second round by beating Iran, look likely to qualify for the section A semi-final by default Its prospective opponents, Poland, which beat Hungary 3-2, has already said it will scratch because it objects to South Africa’s racial policies. Results: EUROPEAN ZONE Section A Monaco beat Bulgaria, 3-2; Poland beat Hungary, 3-2; Ireland beat Luxembourg, 5-0; Britain beat Switzerland. 5-0; West Germany beat New Zealand, 4-1; Sweden beat Finland, 4-1; Czechoslovakia beat Denmark, 3-2.

Section B Jugoslavia leads France, 2-1; Israel beat Portugal, 4-1; Austria beat Norway, 5-0; The Soviet Union beat Greece, 4-1; Rumania beat United Arab Republic , 3-2: Canada beat The

Netherlands, 3-2; Italy beat Bel gium, 4-1.

The draw for the second round is:—

Section A.-—Monaco v. Czechoslovakia. Poland v. South Africa; Ireland v. Britain, Sweden v. West Germany. Section B. —Spain v. France or Jugoslavia, Rumania v. Israel. Soviet Union v. Canada; Italy v. Austria.

EASTERN ZONE Final.—lndia gained a winning 3-0 lead over Japan at Poona when P. Lail and J. Mukerjea (India) beat K. Watanabe and J. Kawamure (Japan), 6-3, 13-11, 7-9, 6-4 in the doubles.